Virandeep Singh: Having been selected for the IPL 2026 final list of the mini auction, Virandeep Singh has written history. He is the only cricket player from an associate country to register his name at a base fee of Rs 30 lakhs. He is from Malaysia.
The final auction list, which dropped from 1390 players to 359, was made public by the BCCI. The 77 seats, which also include 31 players from abroad, will be filled by all of these individuals. With his vast T20I experience, leadership experience, and ability to play in several franchise leagues at a relatively affordable fee, Virandeep stands out on this list.
He is just 26 years old, and he has been representing Malaysia in the shortest format since 2019. After 108 games, he has amassed 3115 runs, the highest of any Malaysian player. He is also the first player from Malaysia to reach 3000 runs in this format. In 2023, he had amassed an undefeated 116-run total against Indonesia.
In this format, he has also done well as a bowler. In addition to his match-winning 4/5 against Mongolia last year, he has grabbed 108 wickets. In addition, he has received several Player of the Match honors.
However, Virandeep’s domestic prowess isn’t the only reason he’s going into the IPL auction. He has previously played franchise cricket with some of the best players in the globe, including the Sharjah Warriors in the ILT20, the Surrey Jaguars in Global T20 Canada, and the Chitwan Tigers in Nepal’s Everest Premier League.
Virandeep, who comes from a family of cricket players—his older brother Pavandeep has also played for Malaysia—led the national team from the front when he was only 20 years old, making history as the youngest male player to lead a team in the shortest format. He is now one of the guys to keep an eye on because of his experience as a captain.
Which club will spend a fortune on an associate player like him is still up in the air. And even if a team buys him, his performance in the shortest format will show that they were correct.
